Daniel Kracher and Roland Ludwig

Summary

The flavin and heme cofactor containing enzyme cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) is ubiquitously distributed in wood-degrading fungi. Current research provides compelling evidence that CDH is an activator for cellulolytic monooxygenases, which enhance the accessibility of crystalline cellulose surfaces for hydrolases. Such oxidative cellulose degradation contributes to the overall cellulolytic capabilities of wood decaying fungi to a large extent, and holds great potential to improve the efficiency of commercial enzyme mixtures for biomass processing and biofuel production. This review summarizes current literature with regard to the distribution, structure and physiological role of CDH in the light of recent findings.